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In the US it is stored on the power plant sites because no central repository has been authorised so far. In some countries like the UK and France, it is brought together on one site - Sellafield in the UK. But there is still no final long term store available.
There are different was to store the waste, at the plants where it was produced. Initial storage is usually in what is called a spent fuel pool, which is literally a large pool of water. This is done because the fuel is very hot and radioactive for a period while the isotopes with short half lives decay a bit. The period is usually more than five years.
After the time at the spent fuel pool, it may be removed to what are called dry casks. These are made of thick concrete and allow the materials to decay longer without a need for a constant supply of water.
Research is still being done in how to deal with nuclear waste.
What else can I help you with?
Why should nuclear power go down?
Large startup costs and the generation of nuclear waste
Which is a problem caused by using nuclear energy?
There are arguments about where to store waste.
How is nuclear energy store for later?
It is not stored for later, all you can do is damp down the reactor with control rods.
How is the waste at koeberg disposed of?
Low and intermediate level waste from Koeberg is transported by road in steel and concrete containers to a remote disposal site at Vaalputs, 600km away in the Kalahari Desert. However high level waste (the spent fuel) is stored on site. The spent Uranium 235 rods are currently stored on high-density racks submerged in a reactor pool. The rods take 100 000 years to decay, and between 30 and 50 years to cool down to reach the boiling point of water
How should canoes be stored?
hanging upside down
How should conoes be stored?
hanging upside down
After cellular waste is removed from the blood how is it stored?
Cellular waste is usually broken down into simpler compounds by the liver and eliminated from the body through urine or feces. Some waste products may also be stored temporarily in various organs or tissues until they can be processed and eliminated.
Should avocados be stored in the fridge?
Avocados should be stored at room temperature until they are ripe, and then can be stored in the fridge to slow down the ripening process and extend their shelf life.
What are the economic disadvantages of nuclear power?
Disadvantages of Nuclear Power:· Nuclear Power generates radiation, which can be harmful or even fatal to infected people.· A nuclear meltdown can occur which will release massive amounts of radiation into the community.· Extremely radioactive nuclear waste is produced by nuclear power plants. This stuff can't be just thrown out. The US plans to move all its nuclear was to an underground dump by the year 2010. Currently it is stored in the plants.· Nuclear waste dumps can spontaneously combust without warning.· Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years, so where they are extremely productive, they break down and are costly to replace.· There are international dangers too. Some reactors produce plutonium which can be used to make nuclear weapons. If the whole world were to use these, they would have unlimited access to nuclear weapons.
How much nuclear waste is produced each year?
The radioactive fission products from a nuclear reactor are contained in the spent fuel and they stay there whilst the fuel is stored under water or eventually in concrete flasks. Waste will only be produced if and when the spent fuel is broken down and chemically treated, probably to separate out the U-238 and plutonium, which may be worth doing. The waste is then the proportion which is not useful and it will consist of the fission products, ie a range of different elements and their isotopes, many of which are highly radioactive. This material is highly dangerous to life and must be stored safely for a long time (centuries)
Is an environmental consequence of nuclear energy?
The ultimate result is the pollution of the environment. Any nuclear accidents leave the area unusable for centuries. When the nuclear reactor melted down in Russia in the 80's it left the entire area radioactive. People can no longer live there and any plants and animals are affected by the radiation that still exists.
Which is a disadvantage of nuclear energy?
One disadvantage of nuclear energy is the production of radioactive waste that requires careful storage and disposal to prevent environmental and health risks. Additionally, nuclear power plants are expensive to build and decommission, which can make them economically challenging compared to other forms of energy generation.
